The Long Refractor Thread!

[Peter Drew]

I have several.

60mm F11

80mm F16

100mm F10

102mm F10 

102mm F9 Fluorite

127mm  F15 triplet

150mm F9 ED

150mm F10 Ha solar

220mm F12.5

🙂

[wookie1965]

13 hours ago, Stu said:

It’s an AZEQ6 Paul. This picture shows it better.

That's a nice mount I like the tripod and pier extension looks thinner than the EQ5 and HEQ5 extension. 

[Stu]

6 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

That's a nice mount I like the tripod and pier extension looks thinner than the EQ5 and HEQ5 extension. 

It’s actually the standard HEQ5 pillar, but looks smaller because it’s on a Meade Giant tripod, the legs are 3” diameter I think, so it kind of dwarfs the pillar!

[chiltonstar]

I have a venerable old 102mm f13 from 1980 'ish. I bought the achromat objective from Vixen and made a tube for it. It still gives wonderful views of doubles and the planets, even though it is a bit cumbersome. Pic is of it on my Vixen SP mount.

Chris

Edited November 23, 2021 by chiltonstar

[refractor2345]

17 hours ago, John said:

I forgot that I still have this one !

F/13.3 60mm - my 1960's Tasco achromat on it's rather wobbly alt-azimuth mount and with .965 eyepieces !

Optically its actually very nice scope

My old TAL 100 RT was a nice scope, but at F/10, possibly a little short for this thread ?:

This is currently my longest refractor. 130mm F/9.2 triplet apochromat:

 

 

 

Wow, That is big, and no, f/10 is clearly a long scope, I would say most portable 130mm telescope is that f/9.2! The limit is about f/9. I also love that mount of the TAL 100 RT, It looks really nice on that telescope!

[refractor2345]

16 hours ago, Peter Drew said:

220mm F12.5

A 220mm F/12.5!? That must have been really heavy! Did you make it or bought it?

[Rusted]

90/11 Vixen 90M. Bought secondhand.

125/15 Home made including the objective.

150/10 iStar H-alpha objective solar telescope in home made tube.

180/12 iStarR35 objective in home made tube.

Mounted on a home made GEM in a home made dome.

 

[Merlin66]

+1 for the Vixen 90/ 1000

I use it with my DIY CaK filter for solar imaging.

works well for me.

 

[Rusted]

2 hours ago, Merlin66 said:

+1 for the Vixen 90/ 1000

I use it with my DIY CaK filter for solar imaging.

works well for me.

The Vixen 90/11 has a nicely sharp objective. Mine is used for solar white light views with a Lunt wedge these days.
I have used it on a video tripod, on the tops of local hills, for taking afocal snaps of several early morning, eclipses and transits.

[Peter Drew]

16 hours ago, refractor2345 said:

A 220mm F/12.5!? That must have been really heavy! Did you make it or bought it?

Made it myself, couldn't afford to buy one!  Made the mount and observatory for the same reason, total cost under 3K    🙂

[Arneb]

My Takahashi FC-76Q F12.6

[refractor2345]

7 hours ago, Peter Drew said:

Made it myself, couldn't afford to buy one!  Made the mount and observatory for the same reason, total cost under 3K    🙂

Oh, but where did you find the optics? I don't think any company manufactures that yet!

[Peter Drew]

I should have made it clear that I didn't make the optics!  The objective was made by someone in Taiwan I think, he offered 150mm, 220mm and 250mm versions.  I bout mine pre-owned but unused for £500!     🙂

[SuburbanMak]

A thread after my own heart - I seem to be rapidly accumulating long refractors..

Topic Towa 339 80mm f15

Prinz 330 60mm f11.8

Clarkson 3 inch f15 (c.1900) 

Hilkin 60mm f13.3 

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by SuburbanMak

[refractor2345]

3 hours ago, Peter Drew said:

I should have made it clear that I didn't make the optics!  The objective was made by someone in Taiwan I think, he offered 150mm, 220mm and 250mm versions.  I bout mine pre-owned but unused for £500!     🙂

WHAT!? 500 quid's for the 220mm? That would be expensive and good at the same time, and considering at least about 10000$ for a factory made made refractor that is cheap!

[AdeKing]

I seem to have unwittingly gravitated towards long focus refractors with all but two of mine being f/9 or longer.

Celestron Omni XLT 102ED f/9

Altair Starwave Classic 102 f/11

Towa (ToPic) 80mm f/15

TAL 100RS f/10

Only the Towa and Altair were deliberate long focus choices, the rest kind of just happened.

Celestron Omni XLT 102ED f/9

TAL 100RS f/10

ToPic (Towa 339) 80mm f/15

Altair Starwave Classic 102 f/11

[Stu]

Lovely scopes @AdeKing 👍

[AdeKing]

Thanks @Stu, I'm very happy with my collection though I have a feeling that I have too many but can't bring myself to move any on.

I do make sure that I alternate between them so that I feel less guilty about having them.

 

[Stu]

10 minutes ago, AdeKing said:

Thanks @Stu, I'm very happy with my collection though I have a feeling that I have too many but can't bring myself to move any on.

I do make sure that I alternate between them so that I feel less guilty about having them.

 

I think we all know that feeling Ade! I’ve got too many scopes, but just enjoy owning and using them so why not?

[JeremyS]

40 minutes ago, AdeKing said:

I seem to have unwittingly gravitated towards long focus refractors with all but two of mine being f/9 or longer.

Celestron Omni XLT 102ED f/9

Altair Starwave Classic 102 f/11

Towa (ToPic) 80mm f/15

TAL 100RS f/10

Only the Towa and Altair were deliberate long focus choices, the rest kind of just happened.

Celestron Omni XLT 102ED f/9

TAL 100RS f/10

ToPic (Towa 339) 80mm f/15

Altair Starwave Classic 102 f/11

That a great collection Ade.

I did wonder if the “T” was to remind you what you need to mount on it 🤔

[AdeKing]

14 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

I did wonder if the “T” was to remind you what you need to mount on it 🤔

Absolutely @JeremyS T for Towa 🤣

[adyj1]

1 hour ago, AdeKing said:

Thanks @Stu, I'm very happy with my collection though I have a feeling that I have too many but can't bring myself to move any on.

I do make sure that I alternate between them so that I feel less guilty about having them.

 

Mighty impressive collection, @AdeKing,

definitely not compensating 😂

 

[mikeDnight]

I've owned a wonderful Vixen 102mm  F13 Pulsar achromat, which i adored. Also, much later, an Antares 105mm F14 achromat. Sadly I've lost any pics I may have had of either.

Here's an unusual one - a Takahashi FC100DZQ F12.8. (That is a FC100DZ F8 with a 1.6X extender-Q attached).

 

[John]

12 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

I've owned a wonderful Vixen 102mm  F13 Pulsar achromat, which i adored. Also, much later, an Antares 105mm F14 achromat. Sadly I've lost any pics I may have had of either.

Here's an unusual one - a Takahashi FC100DZQ F12.8. (That is a FC100DZ F8 with a 1.6X extender-Q attached).

 

Very nice Mike !

If I put a Baader 2.25x barlow on the back of my FC100-DL does it count as an F/20.25 100mm ?

[mikeDnight]

12 hours ago, John said:

Very nice Mike !

If I put a Baader 2.25x barlow on the back of my FC100-DL does it count as an F/20.25 100mm ?

I don't see why not John. I remember when a friend brought a new 4" F5 Helios for me to try. It was early 2004 and rapidly shrinking Mars was low in the west after sunset. So i aimed the little refractor at Mars, added a 3X Telvue barlow, and working at F15 was amazed at just howmuch detail was on view. Of course using a Tak extender-Q in your DL will get rid of all that abominable residual CA and flattens that atrocious field curvature. 😂

 Every time i look at that picture of my DZ with the extender Q attached, it reminds me of something that Marvin the Martian would use to disintegrate the earth.

Edited December 5, 2021 by mikeDnight